German chocolate cake is a layer cake with a coconut-pecan frosting. The recipe was named after Samuel German, who created the chocolate used in the cake. The cake became popular in the US after a recipe was published in a Dallas newspaper in 1957. The cake is still popular today and is often sold in bakeries and as a cake mix.
German chocolate cake is a popular layer cake traditionally topped with a coconut-pecan frosting. The original recipe called for a special sweet baking chocolate to be used for the chocolate flavoring in the cake. German chocolate is a milk-based chocolate that imparts more sweetness than the more commonly used baking chocolate. Most modern German chocolate cake recipes instruct bakers to use any variety of high-quality chocolate or cocoa in the cake batter.
The rich frosting is considered by many cake lovers to be what makes German chocolate cake so unique. Unlike a traditional, smooth glaze with a butter or cream base, the topping is made by slowly caramelizing egg yolks and evaporated milk over medium-high heat and then stirring in flaked, sweetened coconut and chopped pecans. This mixture usually only spreads between the cake layers and on top. However, some bakers also cover the exposed sides of the cake with traditional chocolate icing. Strategically placed maraschino cherries are a common adornment added to the top of the cake.
Although many people believe that the German chocolate cake recipe originated in the country of Germany, it was actually named after Samuel German, the man who created the German sweet chocolate in 1892 for the Baker’s Chocolate brand in the United States. A housewife reportedly sent her recipe for the cake using the chocolate special to a local Dallas, Texas newspaper in 1957. The unique cake enjoyed instant popularity in the Dallas area.
Word of the cake recipe quickly spread across the country, but many regions did not offer the specialty chocolate for sale in local markets. The confection was such a success that the General Foods Company, which owned Baker’s Chocolate at the time, sent photos of it to newspapers across the country, along with information on where to buy the chocolate. So many people made the cake that Baker’s Chocolate sales increased 73% in a very short period of time. The apostrophe in German has somehow disappeared along the road to popularity and the cake has come to be known as German chocolate cake.
Over the past 50 years, the German chocolate cake has maintained its popularity. Most commercial and locally owned and operated bakeries do this on a regular basis, and many offer the recipe in cupcake form. Several popular baking mix companies sell cake mixes, along with ingredients for the popular topping. Ice cream parlors also often feature German Chocolate Cake Ice Cream as one of their flavors.
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